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BACK TO SCHOOL / MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
LAWRENCE
Neighborhood shop offers more than just trims
cramirez@kansan.com
BY CARLO RAMIREZ
At first glance, it looks like there's a party at Watson's Barber Shop. Cars are parked in improvised parking spots in front of the store, customers are laughing, and people inside are doing impressions.
Watson's Barber Shop, just off of Ninth and Mississippi streets, is the only African-American shop in Lawrence.
"It's the black man's country club," said Tim "Nellie" Nelson, a barber at Watson's. "In here you find out about everything: gossip, girls, school drama, or even the latest game you watched. It's all up for discussion."
Before the barber shop existed, current owner Martin "Marty" Watson was cutting hair in west Lawrence when he heard about a rival barber in town named Nellie. Nelson had been working at a barber shop on Massachusetts Street when customers began telling him about a guy he had to meet named Marty.
Both knew of each other, but only by name and as the only black barbers in Lawrence. They decided to meet one night and went out to a bar together. For three nights, the two went out in Lawrence and enjoyed each other's company so much they decided to go into business together. Watson's Barber Shop opened in 2005 and has been busy since day one.
"People kept telling us we had to meet one another and come together," said Martin "Marty" Watson, barber and store owner. "We decided to meet up and go out, one night turned in to two nights, and two nights turned in to three. We both knew Lawrence needed a black barbershop, so we did it."
Watson's business has grown steadily over the years. Marty says the shop hasn't been affected by the poor economy — something he attributes to the barbers' skills.
Customers are even willing to cut back on other expenses to make their
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Tim Nelson, Martin Watson and Benjamin Van Sickle form the backbone of Watson's Barber Shop, at Ninth and Mississippi streets. Watson was named "minority businessman of the year" by by the NAACP in 2008.
Jerry Wang/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
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